Space, and a nonfat latte
Touring the world beyond
TERRY WUERZ
It was a hot day in late August several years ago when I became engaged in conversation with a man on a Winnipeg city bus. I tend to prefer public transport, as I am less likely to spill whatever caffeinated beverage I happen to be holding when I have all my hands, and wits, about me. The conversation began banally enough — he had asked me what time the next bus was coming at the bus stop, and I had acquiesced. Todd was a bus regular, yet I had never seen him on my route before. Somehow, the conversation drifted to the topic of a popular theory, or conspiracy theory if it fits your demeanor, that the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon in 1969 was a well-orchestrated hoax.
Upon learning that I was a science student, Todd wanted to know what I thought about this hypothesis. Was it the real thing? This was it: I could feel that the integrity of scientists worldwide was on my shoulders. I said that I did not know, but that if I was lucky, space tourism as an industry would blossom as many have predicted. Maybe I would have the chance to investigate the matter myself.
Four years later, little has changed. Now, people ask me about their rashes and scrapes when they find out I attend medical school. Often, I do not know. The prospect of space exploration has not left our radar screens or television sets, and continues to fascinate both hopeless nerds such as myself as well as ostentatious entrepreneurs with a vision of the future.
In fact, as this article is being written, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is performing the final checks on what is to be its first launch in over three years. Space shuttle Atlantis, destined for the International Space Station (ISS) in orbit, is now due for launch no earlier than Sept. 8, 2006 [it launched Sept. 9]. After years of tests, revisions and retests, much is on the line for both the integrity of NASA as an organization and the future of the ISS.
In 2003, space exploration suffered a tremendous loss with the disintegration of space shuttle Columbia during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. The accident was ultimately blamed on a piece of insulating foam breaking off from the external fuel tank during launch and puncturing a hole on one of Columbia’s wings, a defect that was unable to withstand the intense heat of re-entry. Seven astronauts lost their lives in that crash, and NASA has had its plate full dealing with the ramifications since. An inquiry into the crash decreed that the three remaining shuttles in NASA’s fleet would either need to be recertified or retired by 2010. The auspicious organization opted for the latter, and has already begun development of Orion, the first of a new line of NASA crafts.
According to American President George Bush, space exploration is a high priority of his administration, perhaps second only to fighting contentious wars in oil-rich turban-friendly locales. In 2004, his speech to NASA spoke optimistically of continued space research and funding, and played into the hearts and minds of Trekkies and sci-fi buffs. “We do not know where this journey will end,” said the president, “yet we know this: human beings are headed into the cosmos.” Billions of additional dollars were committed to the cause, and a timeline was set: by 2020, the president promised that mankind would be back on the moon — this time to create a permanent base that could potentially serve as a stepping-stone to successive launches to Mars, and beyond.
Despite the paucity of manned spaceflights by NASA in recent years, advancements in the field continue unabated. The Russians have not stopped their launches. The ISS itself is manned by a minimum of two crew members at all times, and construction of this floating watchtower crawls onward. Indeed,
the projected total cost for the construction of this station will be in the realm of $100 billion by the time it is completed, hopefully by 2010. Of course, critics are quick to note that this sum of money could potentially have gone quite some distance towards an international collaboration on one of the many of the problems we have here on Earth. True, but science ploughs ahead regardless.
Experiments have been ongoing since the launch of the International Space Station in the late 1990s. Much of the research at the ISS is aimed at addressing the unique issues involved with human space travel; studies at this station span broad fields and are often as obscure as their nicknames. Examples of past experiments have included Cult (cultural determinations of coworking, performance and error management in space operations), FIT (fungal pathogenesis, tumorigenesis, and effects of host immunity in space), and Foot (foot/ground reaction forces during space flight). The hope is that some of this data will be put into use when we extend our reach into outer space.
Meanwhile, the space tourism industry is already a reality, and is poised to expand exponentially as technology increases and costs fall. The first tourist went into space in April of 2001 when entrepreneur and investment manager Dennis Tito flew aboard the ancient Soviet spacecraft Soyuz to the ISS and back. Reportedly, the trip cost him $20 million in American funds. At least a half-dozen companies are currently working on business plans designed to make this venture more affordable, and it may become much more common as early as 2008. Future endeavours are almost certain to include commercial space stations, and trips to the moon and back. The potential for moneygrabbing is nearly limitless, as a new industry is born of imagination combined with some of the most advanced technology in the world.
For the scientific community, space exploration is like a dream come true. In the business world, there is a clear interest in what is sure to become a growth industry. Regardless, I think that in my lifetime, the chances of me flying to the moon, public transit-style, with a cup of joe in hand are pretty good. If only Todd could be there.
Terry Wuerz is a fourth-year medical student.
